Family

I have been really REALLY blessed lately. Why is that...?
Well mainly because I feel like I have been adopted into a Church.


If you are reading this you should know that I am a Christian and ever since I moved to London in Sept I have been trying to find somewhere that I would really feel at home worshiping God. Where the teaching would be theologically sound, people would be living real lives of integrity and where I would be welcomed and embraced for being myself...


....a small ask you might think...


Now don't get me wrong there are plenty of really strong, solid Churches around where I live. However, I honestly found it really hard being a visitor to Churches where I didn't feel welcomed at all. Saying "welcome" to someone as they walk through the door is not really welcoming people. It's a token gesture. 


However, I genuinely feel like I have found a Church family. I have been going to Kings Church Lee since the start of November and I've been blown away by how people have made such an effort to make me feel a part of the family.


I think living in London can be one of the loneliest places to live because you are surrounded by people all the time everywhere and yet you can have no connection with anyone. I have no idea how people who don't link into religious establishments actually meet people outside of work. I have tried talking to my neighbours and they aren't so friendly. I have tried talking to people on the bus with varying success and there's no guarantee i'll ever see them again. 


I guess what I'm trying to say is that FINALLY I feel like I belong somewhere here. 


I like it. 

Auction of Promises

I don't think I have told you that I am off to Ghana in February.


The charity I work for (XLP) have been going to Ghana for 8 or 9 years now and in that time they have built and started a Secondary School.


It's called Jubilee School and it's in a town/village in Ghana called Dampong. In that region they have about 94 primary schools but only 4 secondary schools. (watch more here)


XLP has been going out on mission trips to visit schools, give gospel presentations and encourage Christians who are there to remain faithful in the midst of great poverty.


Four of us from my team are going along with about 18 others and so this Saturday we are holding a fundraiser. We are hosting an Auction of Promises. The idea is that people promise us talents, time, experiences, days out etc and we auction them off to the highest bidder. I'm quite excited as it is the first time I have taken part in one. However, as with all fundraising events, I am terrified that no one is going to come and that I will have 30 lots and no buyers. If you are a pray-er please do pray for us that this event would be a success. 


We have been SO lucky with what people have offered - from music lessons to campervans, and cupcake making to parliament tours, people have been very generous. 


Are you planning on going anywhere in 2012?

Vision

This last week I have been challenging some of the kids to think of goals to set themselves for 2012. And while I was doing that I decided it would be a good idea to re-define what it is that I want to do with myself this year. 


Praise God I have now got a new passport so I can leave the country again - WOOP! But yea I have re-posted some of my goals short and long term below

Learn how to ski

Sleep in a hammock

Go "bivvying"

Jump out of a plane

Read the whole Bible

Visit each continent (which means I need to sort out a new passport as mine was stolen in Boston)

Give things I value away to bless others

Learn 100 Bible verses

Go skinny-dipping

Have a positive impact on all that I meet

Create a den of some nature in the woods and sleep in it

Sleep in the desert

Have a secret handshake with someone

Be able to play guitar to an alright standard

Practise the gift of prophecy

Go and see more live music

Become fluent in another language

Get married

See my family more than 5 times a year

Write to my friends on a monthly basis

Become a coffee connoisseur

Have kids

Take time each week to rest properly and reflect

Go to the Carribean

Give water-skiing a go

Run a marathon

Read a classic a year

Take as many opportunities as possible to speak about Jesus

I have decided that I need to be more focused and give myself better deadlines because otherwise I just don't get on with anything. So by Easter I am going to have:

• Learnt 100 Bible verses
• Be able to play guitar to an alright standard
• Practise the gift of prophecy
• Go and see more live music

Hold me accountable guys :) 

Lessons from an old lady

I've recently joined up to stumbleupon - its a website where you basically tell choose a subject and it will bring up pages at random that fit that subject.


Anyway I have recently been getting into quotes and lessons to live by. I feel like I don't want to make the same mistakes other people have but learn from them...


On my stumbling I found this list of advice and thought I would share:
01. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
02. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
03. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
04. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
05. Pay off your credit cards every month.
06. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
07. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
08. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
09. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past, so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness, but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?".
26. Always choose life.
27 Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

New Years Resolutions

Are you like me? Do you wait until a specific moment to start things? Will you wait for the beginning of the week/month before starting the new diet/exercise regime?


This year my resolution is just to write more down. To document my life a bit more so that I can actually look over a year and see what I have actually done. 


Normally I'm a bit rubbish at keeping resolutions. I'm hoping to be more disciplined this year. 


Do you have a resolution?